TOYOTA & UNIV OF CALIF TO PLUG IN

A new competitor for the prize of bringing the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to market is good news. Also, early reports are that Speaker Pelosi will keep a provision to stimulate development of the PHEV in the House Energy Bill expected to come to the floor this week. Another reason to go to:

POWER OF WIND

and get involved in the debate!

Toyota to test electric plug-in hybrid Prius cars
Zachary Slobig, July 28, 2007 (AFP via Yahoo News)

WHO
Toyota (Denise Morrissey, spokeswoman), University of California campuses at Berkeley (researcher Susan Shaheen) and Irvine

WHAT
Toyota and the Universities will road test 2 plug-in Priuses, the first time a major carmaker has tested this type of vehicle on US roads. The Priuses will have a battery-only range of 7 miles and top speed of 62 mph.
click to enlarge. better yet, check out the link in the left column and read the book.

WHEN
The study will begin in the fall of 2007.

WHERE
Driver behavior will be studied in Berkeley. Irvine will study air quality and energy use.

WHY
- The PHEVs, recharged in normal 110 volt wall-sockets, will carry 220 extra pounds due to its nickel-cadmium battery.
- UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies will track behavior of early adopters in business and personal use over 2 years, noting trip distance, charging location, duration, time of day, and frequency of trips.
- UC Berkeley is being flooded with volunteers.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the PHEV is the way it facilitates all other renewable energies via V2G technology. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Morrissey: "This is exciting technology that Toyota has been working on for years…This will be a great experiment to see how the market will respond to the plug-in modification."
- Shaheen: "We will be looking at how people integrate this vehicle in their daily lives and monitoring behavioral response…I study how people adapt to new technology, how it affects their lifestyle…a plug-in hybrid is a step in a whole new direction…This is different from traditional refueling and will require some degree of adjustment…But it is still not clear if consumers are going to be willing to plug in their cars, and adjust to the price premium of this new technology…Only time will tell."